What Needle Do I Use?

I was sewing for literally decades before I knew that there is a groove running down the front of every machine needle! What is the groove for? It is where the thread “hides” when the needle is moving in and out of the fabric. The groove protects the thread from friction, which is a big culprit of breaking thread. Often, we say that a thread is weak when it actually is experiencing too much heat from friction. Each size and style needle have different size grooves. For instance, when using a top stitch needle, it is assumed that you will be using a heavier thread. Both the eye and groove of the top stitch needle are larger to accommodate the thread size. The larger the number on the needle size such as 70 or 80, means the larger the needle diameter and groove.

If the groove is too small for the thread, the thread will experience friction and break. It the groove is too large for the thread, the thread will wiggle around and out of the groove and also break from friction. If the groove is the correct size for the thread it will glide along and stay cool in the groove.